Research Advances in Augmented Truck Vision for Safe Surface Mining Operations

Abstract

Copyright: © 2013 Frimpong S. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The creation and maintenance of a healthy working environment in surface mining operations require sustained efforts in pursuing advanced research initiatives toward the development and deployment of powered haulage technologies. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) indicates that, out of the 250 fatalities reported from 1998 to 2002 for surface mining operations, 40% was attributed to powered haulage. Within the same period, MSHA reports that 14% of total days lost and 9% of lost time injuries were attributed to powered haulage [1]. Ruff [2] states that about 675 accidents and 21 fatalities, involving powered haulage equipment, occur each year in surface mining operations. A significant 20 percent of these accidents involve off-highway dump trucks. Many practical solutions and fundamental research have been carried out to improve truck-haul road engagement and reduce dump truck collisions [3]. However, truck tirehaul road engagement, and collision problems persist in surface mining operations. Any meaningful and practical solutions must be focused on the entire truck operating paradigm from loading through loaded and empty haulage to dumping operations. Attention must focus on truck dynamics, collision avoidance and overall situational awareness of operator’s environments. Dump truck dynamics are essential for ensuring stability, and effective tire-ground engagement for efficient operations in challenging terrains. Collision and enhanced situational awareness in difficult environments are also major challenges associated with the operation of these dump trucks as a result of the increasing “blind” areas around the trucks and the operating environment. The sources of these likely collision hazards and lack of perceptual awareness include machine design, which provides limited operator’s field of view, terrain geometry problems, random intrusions by humans and animals, low clearance between passing trucks on horizontal curves, and problems at service stations (Figure 1).